Musical instrument



Feb. 1 1927. 1,615,961

c. F. SMITH .MusicAL INSTRUMENT l Filed Feb. 2, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 llHH-IHIIIWI Feb. 1 1927. Y

c. F. SMITH MUSICAL INSTRUMENT s sheets-shew 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1924 mw Q mh 9*, nm.

l C. F. SMITH MUSICAL INSTRUMENT 5' ysheets-snaai s Filedv Feb. 2, 1924 i Patented Feb. 1, 1927.v

CHARLES F. SMITH, OIE FOREST PARK, ILLINOIS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed February 2, 1924-. Serial No. 690,117.

Mynew instrument is of the type `represented by the clarinet, Saxophone, etc., and amongv the objects of Vmy invention are to produce a new instrument of this type; to

r'produce a new instrument. of this type operated yby means of a keyboard; to connect this keyboard to the linstrument 1n such a way, that the right hand of the performer can operate said keyboardsubstantially in i single tones upon the modern piano and with the .same .manner as the right hand plays the samevknowledge acquired through practice upon the piano; to have tones ,at the lowerend of the upper .register duplicate thoseatthe upper end ,of the lower register, thereby reducing rgreatly changing registers g to reduce to but three items the operation ofsaid instrument, first, blowing of the reed,

second,` pressing of but kone key with one finger, third, operation of the register key; to .accomplish the resultjust stated and still have anv'instrument where thev speed and f facility of action are the greatest and where the'impedimental conditions have been `removed; te have a keyboard of such adesign that both registers can be handled with the variations in said keyboard in such places v'as to cause the least annoyance; to produce 'a keyboard instrument of the kind referred to such that there will .be a minimum number of variations from .standard keyboard arrangement; and such furtherl objects ad-y vantages land capabilities as will hereafter more fully appear and as are inherent in 'the-construction disclosed.

invention further resides in the combination, construction .and arrangement of spective view of a key and the connections between this key and a valve member; Fig. 6. isa horizontal section through the keyboard portion -of the instrument, taken below the keys.; Fig. 7 is a broken longitudinal vertical lsection of a portion of the tone tube of the instrument` ,designed to show the means for operating the register key; Fig. 8 is a longitudinal view similar to Fig. 3, but showing a modified form of construction in which the operating mechanism is divided into four groups instead of two; and Fig. 9 is a transverse section similar to Fig. 2 showing this modication.

Referring more in detail to the annexed drawings, numeral 1 designates the sound tube and 2 the bell of the instrument tube proper to which is attached a mouthpiece carrying a reed, not shown in the drawings. Attached to this tube is a body member 3 hollowed out in the interior for the rece tion of certain operating mechanism. SP- cured to one side of the sound tube are `parts fi and 5 by means of which the instrument is held in the ,left hand while the same is being played. Adjacent the part 4 Yis a projecting member 6 which is secured to .a slide bar 7 by means of which the register valve 8 is controlled. The valve carrier 9 is pivoted upon a rod 10 and has mounted therein a pin 11 which is engaged by :a cam surface 12 Iformed upon the slide rod 7., the latter being guided in its longitudinal movements by pin and slot connections 13. It will be apparent from the foregoing that when the operating member 6 is pulled or pushed toward member 4: the slide bar 7 will push pin 11 outwardly, thus raising the valve 8 from the .aperture which it covers. 4This will change the register of the instrument approximately one and one-half octaves. The valve 8 is often referredto as the register key and this expression will be used in this application with that meaning.

vThe rod 10 is mounted in a plurality of brackets 15 and 16 so that it remains rigidly in place relatively to the sound tube 1. On this rod are mounted, pivotally, `a series of .levers 17 18, 19, 20 and 21, each carrying a valve 8. Each of the levers is spring pressed by a spring which may be of any desired form. The form shown is merely used by way of illustration and, if this form were used, it rwould be necessary y.to usecure one end thereof to the tube, as .shown in Fig. 1, `or provide other means for preventing that end from raising when a valve is opened. Any other suitable arrangement for operating the levers to -close the valves 8 may be used. The :levers 17 lare shown `as being straight, while 18, 19, 20 and 21 `are shown in Fig. 1 as being offset. This is in order to avoid the necessity of extending the body 3 and the keyboard the full length of the tube 1, as will be apparent from Fig. 1.

It is a well known fact that with an instrument of this character, opening of the valves nearer to the mouthpiece raises the pitch of the tone produced. Also, in the standard piano keyboard, the keys farther to the right produce the higher tones. In order, therefore, to adapt the piano keyboard to an instrument of the type referred to, it was necessary to provide means for connecting the keys at the farther end of the keyboard with the valves at the nearer end and vice versa. This was accomplished by having a series of tubular members concentrically mounted as shown in Figs. 3,

6 and 8. Referring more especially to Figs.

2 and 3, it will be seen that rods 24 and 25 are pivotally mounted in the body member 3, and' upon each of these rods is mounted a tube 26 carrying successively larger tubes e?, as, ete.

Secured adjacent opposite ends and to opposite sides of the rod 24 are arms 31 and 32 which, together with the rod 24, constitute a lever transmitting motion from a key to a valve operating lever. From this it will be seen that pressure upon key 33 which is at the end nearest the mouthpiece, will cause actuation of the valve controlling lever 21 at the far ther end of the tube 1. Similarly, actuation of keys 34, 35, etc., will,fthrough the instrumentality of arms 36, 37 and 38, 39, etc., and the intervening tubes 26, 27, etc., cause actuation of valve levers 21 and 20, 20, 19, etc. from the foregoing it will be apparent that actuation of the key 40 at the middle of the keyboard will, through the cooperation of arms 41 and 42 and tube 43 cause actuation of three valve levers 17 the highest of which is specifically designated 44 in Fig. 1. The key next to key 40 and which is designated by the .numeral 45 will act through corresponding arms 46 and 47 and a sleeve on rod 25 to acuate the valve lever next higher than that one indicated by the numeral 44 together with the one marked 44 and the one neXt lower. Similarly arms 48, 49, 50,` 51, etc., which are respectively connected in pairs to sleeves carried by rod 25 will be actuated by keys 52, 53, etc. From this it will be apparent that t-he key farthest to the right in Fig. 1 will actuate the valve lever next to the lever 9 carrying the register key 8 together with the two next lower. The arms 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, etc., carried bythe sleeves on the rod 25 have been omitted in Fig. 6 in order to avoid confusion, but their positions have been designated by dotted lines in order to make the arrangement of the parts clear. In Fig. 3

the corresponding sleeves 26, 27, 28, 29, etc., mounted on rods 24 and 25 have been designated by the same numerals.

One edge of body 3 is shown as being provided with supporting brackets by means of which the tube 1 is supported in place. The opposite edge of body 3 has eX- tending inwardly a iiange 56 perforated for the reception of rods 57 and 58 which serve as connection means between the keys of the keyboard and the arms 31, 36, 38, 41, 46, 48, etc., of the levers by means of which the valve levers 17 to 21 inclusive are actuated. The opposite arms 37, 39, 42, 47, 49, 51, etc., of the levers mounted upon rods 24 and 25 have connected therewith series 59 and 60 of push rods whereby motion of the levers is transmitted to cross-heads 61, 62 and 63. By reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the cross-head 61 engages but a single lever, this lever heilig numbered 21. This is the lever which is acuated when key 33 is depressed. Depression of key 34 Will rotate a sleeve 26 upon the rod 24, actuating,r arm 37 and its connected push rod 59. This, being connected to the first cross-head 62, will actuate levers 20 and 21, since the cross-head engages an extremity of each of these levers. Similarly, actuation of key 35 actuates the next rod 57, thus actuating parts 38, 27, 39, 59, 62, and 19. Each of the cross-heads 62 controls two of the valve levers, while each of the cross-heads 63 controls three of the valve levers, thus actuating as many valve members. One purpose in opening more than one valve at a time is in order to get purer tones than would be produced if just a single valve were opened. It is believed that from the foregoing the operation of the keys and valves will be clear Without going into a detailed explanation of the operation of each one and a further statement thereof will, therefore, not be made.

It will be observed that each of the ke s is designated by two different letters. T e lower one of these indicates the tone which will be produced when playing the lower register, while the higher one will be produced when playing the higher register, that is, when the register valve 8 is open. Starting with Vkey 33, depression of this and blowing through the reed in the ordinary manner will produce the tone C. Shiftin from key 33 to key 34 will raise the pitc one-half tone to C sharp, while depression of key 35 will raise the pitch another half tone to D. Proceeding further, the tones follow in the manner of the ordinary keyboard until a sharp is reached at the middle of the board. Here, A sharp is represented by a white key instead of a black key as is customary, and B is represented by a black key instead of a white key. These two are the only changes in the lower register and lthe only changes in the upper register are at the extreme upper limit thereof where F is represented by a black key and F sharp by a. white key. Upon examination it will ybe seen that the tones'G, Gr sharp, A, A

end the bottom of a trough 66 and at its other end a collar 67 on its respective rod.

Each of these rods is slidable through the bottom of the trough 66 and, as heretofore indicated, carries at its upper end one of the cross-heads 6l, 62, 63. The keys are 'pivoted at their inner ends upon a rod 68 v mounted, preferably, in the body member 3 and have their upper movement limited by a cross-bar 69 fastened at its respective ends to the said body member. It will thus be apparent that the keys can be pressed downwardly to open the valve but cannot move upwardly farther than.y the bar 69 will permit them to go.

The substantial variation of the construction shown in Figs. Sand 9 from that shown in they other figures is in the use of a larger number of rods 71, 72, 73, 74, corresponding 'to rods 24 and 25 of the other form. It

correspond to and have the same functions as like rods in the preferred construction. Also, the sleeves mounted upon the rods 7l, 7 2, 73 and 74 are the equivalents of and perform the same functions as the corresponding sleeves in the other structure. Furthermore, there are arms secured to the sleeves which cooperate with the various push rods 57 and 60 inclusive to perform the functions above described.

Another structure which is the equivalent of the structures shown is one in which the tube l is mounted substantially in the position occupied by cross bar 69 and the tube and keyboard are mounted directly above the body 3 instead of the tube being offset laterally as in the preferred construction. This necessitates reversing the positions of pivot bar 10 and trough 66 and the direction of the valve actuating levers. Otherwise this construction is substantially the same as the constructions shown.

Among the various features which I con- Sider novel are the keyboard arrangement, connecting the keyboard to the valve levers in such a manner that operating the keys in the customary manner will produce the corresponding rise or fall in tone, design of the instrument so that a small number of keys may give a much wider range of tone, so constructing the instrument that a single key will raise a plurality of valve levers for the purpose of clarifying the tones, said levers being raised the same distance by a single key and without lost motion due to connecting one valve lever to another, and so arranging the keyboard that a portion of the keys at one end of the keyboard will duplicate the tones produced by corresponding keys at the other end of the keyboard. It is, of course, understood that the specific description of the structure set forth above may be departed from without departing from the stirit of my invention as set forth in this specification and the appended claim.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

In a musical instrument having a tubular body, means for producing a series of tones by the opening and closing of a series of openings, and means for moving the rst named means including a key board, the keys of which, at one side of the middle, control the first named means at the opposite side of the middle.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name to this specification.

CHARLES F. SMITH. 

